Influential Chocolate
Today has been a day for sharing.
Gavin shared a piece of gum from his personal pack with each of his siblings, minus Finley.
Parker shared little candy balls from the tiny toy gas pump that he loves to operate, wherein the candy rolls down a small track and lands with a clink at the bottom when you turn a miniature crank on the side of the pump.
Elasa, Gavin and Parker shared a bit of their time and energy with the neighbors across the street by raking some leaves out to the curb, where the leaf truck will vacuum them up later this week.
A friend from church who drove past and saw the children out raking leaves stopped and shared from the stash of smarties he keeps in his work van, giving them each a pack.
Elasa in turn shared her smarties with Finley, biting them into small pieces to make them more consumable for a one-year-old.
Parker saved one smartie to share with Daddy upon his return from work.
I love seeing my children share, and the attitude of generosity behind the sharing is one that we try to foster through various methods: coaxing, suggesting, and even, at times, requiring.
Today, however, I was reminded that the primary way to teach my children to share is through example.
Case in point: today I shared a special bar of dark chocolate with my sons even though I was tempted not to.
Gavin saw the bar sitting on my desk and his eyes lit up, so I broke a piece off for him to enjoy while he listened to Henry Huggins.
Finley saw the chocolate and immediately began to beg, unabashedly, for one bite, and then another.
Parker came upon the scene just before the chocolate was decimated and gladly removed the last chunk from it's wrapper, so that it was officially and entirely gone.
After all, today was a day for sharing, and how could I praise generosity in my children and then resort to averted eyes and stingy nibbling myself when the opportunity to share came in the form of a rather rare and delectable bar of Cadbury chocolate?
Maybe sharing my chocolate today will lay the groundwork for Finley to share something that belongs to him tomorrow. (Or, more realistically, next year, when he is a bit older than 15 months!)
Maybe the kisses given, the praise spoken, the extra few moments in the rocking chair, the math concepts taught, the stories read aloud, the laundry folded, and the pumpkin muffins baked, when done with generosity of spirit, will come back to bless us again through the lives of our children, all pressed down, shaken together and running over.
Who knows who our children will become and what they will give to the world if they learn the art of generosity here and now, while under the influence of chocolate?
Gavin shared a piece of gum from his personal pack with each of his siblings, minus Finley.
Parker shared little candy balls from the tiny toy gas pump that he loves to operate, wherein the candy rolls down a small track and lands with a clink at the bottom when you turn a miniature crank on the side of the pump.
Elasa, Gavin and Parker shared a bit of their time and energy with the neighbors across the street by raking some leaves out to the curb, where the leaf truck will vacuum them up later this week.
A friend from church who drove past and saw the children out raking leaves stopped and shared from the stash of smarties he keeps in his work van, giving them each a pack.
Elasa in turn shared her smarties with Finley, biting them into small pieces to make them more consumable for a one-year-old.
Parker saved one smartie to share with Daddy upon his return from work.
I love seeing my children share, and the attitude of generosity behind the sharing is one that we try to foster through various methods: coaxing, suggesting, and even, at times, requiring.
Today, however, I was reminded that the primary way to teach my children to share is through example.
Case in point: today I shared a special bar of dark chocolate with my sons even though I was tempted not to.
Gavin saw the bar sitting on my desk and his eyes lit up, so I broke a piece off for him to enjoy while he listened to Henry Huggins.
Finley saw the chocolate and immediately began to beg, unabashedly, for one bite, and then another.
Parker came upon the scene just before the chocolate was decimated and gladly removed the last chunk from it's wrapper, so that it was officially and entirely gone.
After all, today was a day for sharing, and how could I praise generosity in my children and then resort to averted eyes and stingy nibbling myself when the opportunity to share came in the form of a rather rare and delectable bar of Cadbury chocolate?
Maybe sharing my chocolate today will lay the groundwork for Finley to share something that belongs to him tomorrow. (Or, more realistically, next year, when he is a bit older than 15 months!)
Maybe the kisses given, the praise spoken, the extra few moments in the rocking chair, the math concepts taught, the stories read aloud, the laundry folded, and the pumpkin muffins baked, when done with generosity of spirit, will come back to bless us again through the lives of our children, all pressed down, shaken together and running over.
Who knows who our children will become and what they will give to the world if they learn the art of generosity here and now, while under the influence of chocolate?
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